Dogged Patriots fans dress their pets

Monday

Jan 28, 2008 at 12:01 AMJan 28, 2008 at 2:36 PM

When the New England Patriots square off with the New York Giants on Feb. 3, they’ll not only have their regular riot of fans cheering, but quite a few of the canine variety in team-appropriate accoutrement.

Deborah Allard

When the New England Patriots square off with the New York Giants on Feb. 3, they’ll not only have their regular riot of fans cheering, but quite a few of the canine variety in team-appropriate accoutrement.

“We’re sports fans, the hubby and me, and Tyler will have his jacket,” said Cindy Barnabe, holding Tyler, a friendly shih tzu, in his Patriots fleece coat. “I’m so excited.”

At Waggly Tails, a while-you-wait pet groomer at 394 Second St., the business of pampering has turned to that of selling sports-inspired pet wear lately.

“The Patriots are the talk of the town right now,” said Waggly Tails owner Mari Burns. “I sold 35 (pet coats) in a week and a half. Most of them Patriots.”

Burns said a woman she knows, a retired seamstress, hand-sews the coats, each with a hood and Velcro enclosures. The coats come in a variety of sizes and can also be special ordered to fit in a variety of colors and logos.

“She does her best,” Burns said, picking up her Pomeranian pooch, also named Tyler and wearing a Patriots coat, too.

Burns, a groomer for the past five years, said she offers dog clothing as another service to her clients — that and a very calming, relaxing atmosphere to de-stress pets while getting their fur done.

“I bought two (coats), a Pats and a Sox,” said Barnabe. “They’re beautiful.”

Cosmo, a brown and white cavalier King Charles spaniel, with a very sweet demeanor and lovely soft fur, wears her new Patriots coat on her walks, said her owner Mark Veloza. “It’s cute,” he said.

Cosmo and Veloza plan to watch the Super Bowl from the comfort of their living room.